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Unusual Petty Cash Draw in 1894
The effect of the lighting environment was well understood by jewelers in the late 1800s. Minimal grading standards at the time included “good north light unobstructed by buildings or other objects”, grading between the hours of 10am and 2pm only, no use of artificial light, and use of the same location for grading (amongst others that are less important to this story).
As it turns out, in the New York jewelry district on Maiden Lane, neighboring buildings were painted yellow—and these buildings faced the windows from which dealers judged color in the north daylight! Several dealers said they would need to vacate their offices because of the colors—so they pooled their funds and offered to repaint the offending buildings.
Thanks to John M. King, Ron H. Geurts, Al M. Gilbertson, and James E. Shigley for the story in Color Grading “D-Z” Diamonds at the GIA Laboratory, Gems & Gemology, Vol. 44, No. 4.